Brick & Mortar: Reign With Tom Asta

Tom Asta, Chris Cole, Kyle Frederick, Jimmy Carlin, and more set it off in this edit for Reign. Read an interview with Tom about the shop below, and get ready for Tom’s Pro Spotlight Video coming tomorrow!

From setting up a board for someone’s first push to a pro setting up a board for the Street League finals, Reign has you dialed. Serving the greater Philadelphia area, skater owned and operated through and through, the only vibe you will catch walking in is a welcoming one. Careful when challenging this crew in a game of SKATE, though—these dudes are as sharp as a brand new griptape blade.—David Jurusik

How did Reign come about?
Reign came about around four and half years ago. G Spot was the shop in this little town, and after trying to expand with another shop, it really didn’t work out too well and had to close the doors. A couple of guys that worked at the shop decided they could start a new one; without one in town it seemed like a no-brainer. They knew what they were doing after helping the old one and went in and started Reign.

Everyone pretty much knows Chris Cole as one of the main owners. Who are the gents behind the counter holding it down daily?
There are four who actually own it. Chris Cole; the Berry brothers, Ian and Justin; and Skip Millard. Chris and Ian are kind of just like dudes behind it, but they’re not actually putting in hours at the shop. Skip and Justin are the ones who you’ll see there helping out behind the counter on the regular.

Reign stands out in the sense that everyone involved is an avid skateboarder. Who from the shop and team do you skate with the most?
I probably skate with Ian the most, Ian and Justin mainly. Sometimes I’ll go out with the dudes who ride for Reign, like Shane Colville and the homie John Tuck. John just moved out to the Long Beach area, so not as much lately. We’ll hit up local parks daily and actual skate spots on the weekends. It’s cool, you can always go to the shop and meet up with someone to skate with.

Who are some of the kids Reign is backing that we should be on the look for?
Definitely this dude Adam Hribar. He’s one of the gnarliest from this area, straight hucker status. The shit he has been doing is just insane. I used to doubt him, but the stuff he claims, he goes out and gets it. I don’t doubt him anymore [laughs]. The team is super different, it’s sick. The homie John Tuck has a smooth style, and when you watch him you just know he’s got it. The whole team rips.

Cruising into Reign for the first time, what vibe would someone expect when walking in?
Well, we always get kids that call the shop like, “Hey, let me talk to Chris Cole!” because they know he owns the shop. Some kids come in expecting to see us all the time. Usually I’m there [laughs]. We get kids that travel just to see the shop. About a month ago this crew got in a van and came from Ohio just to come and see Reign. It’s pretty cool because when it’s a shop owned by Chris Cole you probably would want to check it out once or twice, I think that’s what keeps kids stoked.